“It is the way to yours,” Shauna said. “I’ll drop you first and then call a cab for myself.”
He sat up straight. “Absolutely not. It’s almost midnight. I’m not letting you cab it alone.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You are not taking a cab home. That is final. Turn the car around.”
“We’ve already discussed this. I am not allowing you to drive home alone tonight, and that is final.”
“Shauna.”
“Akash.”
“Look, your apartment is just around the corner,” Shauna said. “How about I drop you home and drive your car back to mine?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, looking sullen. “Fine. Whatever. You never listen to me anyway. You’re just so damn bossy always.”
She chuckled. He shot her an irate look. Akash looked so cute, all riled up.
Cute? God. What was wrong with her? In the past, they’d had several disagreements. She’d never found him cute then. And now she was finding him cute? Ugh. He wasn’t cute. He was annoying and difficult.
She pulled into his building’s driveway and parked the car in the designated spot, as directed by him. Switching off the engine, she stepped out.
He frowned and got out as well. “Now what? Are you going to drop me home too?”
“Yes.”
“Stop treating me like a child.”
She arched a brow. “Then stop acting like one.”
Before he could respond, she turned and walked toward the lobby. He followed without a word. They entered the elevator together, the doors sliding shut with a soft click. Akash glared at her throughout the short ride to his floor. Once there, he unlocked the door of his apartment, and without waiting for him, she stepped inside and shut the door behind him.
He threw his hands up. “Now what? Are you planning on spending the night here?”
“Maybe.”
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Then he shook his head. “I’m going for a shower. It’s late. You should go.” Hewalked toward his room, then paused. “Text me when you reach home. And for God’s sake, please take care of my car.”
She rolled her eyes. Of course, he was worried about his damn car. Such a boy. She really ought to leave, but for some unexplainable reason her feet refused to move. For a moment, she stood in the middle of the living room, unsure why she had insisted on coming up at all. Or why she couldn’t bring herself to leave him. She clucked her tongue. This was silly.
Sighing, she turned to leave, and her eyes caught on the large photograph above the sofa on the wall opposite her. It was a sweet picture of Akash and Keya. They both looked younger. He was standing behind her, holding her waist, both of them smiling.
She remembered this one from before, when she used to visit Keya while she lived here, before she married Kabier. Without thinking, she walked toward the chest of drawers to her right, where several photo frames were arranged neatly. Once upon a time, this place held Keya’s photos. She knew that all those were now in Keya’s home with Kabier. She’d seen them there. The photos here now were all of Akash.
There were pictures of Akash with Kabier, Keya, and their kids. Another with Keya, Raashi, Sheena, and Jiya. One showed him holding Keya’s children, Kiana and Kush, balanced on each arm, both clinging to him. She smiled at that.
There were more: one with Kabier, another with Janak, one with Dheer, Armaan, Rohan, Nirvaan, and Vir, and another with Dheer, Vir, and Amara. The last photo was of him with Vir, standing arm in arm in front of the Eiffel Tower.
She looked through the pictures again and realized how first Keya and now Akash had filled their home with photos of the people who mattered to them. It struck her that now, with Keya married and living in her own home, Akash was… alone. Andlonely. He had no one to come home to, no one to share the burdens of his day with.
But she was here now, and she would be there for him.
She moved without thinking and entered his bedroom. Akash was standing near the bed, rubbing a towel through his hair. Droplets of water clung to his bare shoulders, sliding down his chest. Loose pajama bottoms rested low on his hips.
He looked up, and his eyes met hers. His shoulders flexed as he lowered his hand. Her gaze moved before she could stop it. Her eyes traced the length of him, taking in the solid breadth of his shoulders, the defined lines of his chest, the tight planes of his abdomen tapering into the low waistband of his pajama bottoms.
Fuck. He was gorgeous.
